Stem Cell For Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) has been one of the leading causes of disability which is primarily caused by trauma. It is different from ordinary back injury as the latter usually heals in time while spinal cord injury has been known to cause permanent disability in most of those who had the misfortune to suffer from such.

The spinal cord is a long bundle of nerve tissue that sits inside a bony structure called the vertebral column or backbone. It is the conduit that connects the brain to the rest of the body, enabling nearly all of the latter's functions. Since the spinal cord spans from the back of the neck up to our tail bone, the location of the injury determines the area that will be most affected. For instance, injuries in the thoracic region (back of the neck) usually affect the chest and the legs and result in paraplegia. The vertebra in the lower back between the thoracic vertebra where the ribs attach, and the pelvis (hip bone), are the Lumbar Vertebra. The sacral vertebra run from the Pelvis to the end of the spinal column. Injuries to the five Lumbar vertebra (L-1 thru L-5) and similarly to the five Sacral Vertebra (S-1 thru S-5) generally result in some loss of functioning in the hips and legs.

The effects of Spinal Cord Injury also depends on the type of injury and thelevel of the injury. SCI can be divided into two types of injury - complete and incomplete. A complete injury means that there is no function below the level of the injury; no sensation and no voluntary movement and both sides of the body are equally affected. An incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the primary level of the injury hence a person with an incomplete injury may be able to move one limb more than another, may be able to feel parts of the body that cannot be moved, or may have more functioning on one side of the body than the other.

With the advances in acute treatment of SCI, incomplete injuries are becoming more common but still, the effect is permanent.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STEM CELL IN TREATING SPINAL CORD INJURY?

Stem cell therapy is currently being explored as researchers use these special regenerative cells (stem cells) to repopulate areas of damage that result from spinal cord injuries with the hope of improving the ability to move ("motor outcomes") and to feel ("sensory outcomes") beyond the site of the injury. Since most SCI had caused permanent disability (to some degree) to patients without any possibility of cure except for extensive and mostly experimental neurosurgery, with months or years of rehabilitative therapy, the use of stem cells to repair the damaged area is being developed and studied further.

According to the latest researches, Stem cells hold potential for treating spinal cord injuries. Transplantation studies in animals have shown that a transplantation of stem cells or stem-cell-derived cells may contribute to spinal cord repair by replacing the nerve cells that have died as a result of the injury; generating new supporting cells that will re-form the insulating nerve sheath (myelin) and act as a bridge across the injury to stimulate re-growth of damaged axons; protecting the cells at the injury site from further damage by releasing protectiv into the spinal cord shortly after injury; and preventing spread of the injury by suppressing the damaging inflammation that can occur after injury

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had also authorized StemCells Inc.'s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for clinical testing of the company's HuCNS-SC human n e substances such as growth factors, and soaking up toxins such as free radicals, when introduced eural stem cells as a treatment for spinal cord injury. According to Stephen Huhn, MD, FACS, FAAP, vice president, CNS Clinical Research at StemCells Inc., with regulatory authorization from Switzerland, Canada and now the United States, they now have the first International trial of a stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury. The company has not seen any safety issues in the ongoing trial, and they have reported truly exciting preliminary results, with gains in sensory function persisting for 12 months after transplantation.

With these recent developments in the use of stem cell therapy for Spinal Cord Injury, more and more people are finding this alternative method of treatment a hope for better future ahead.

WHAT CAN YOSKARN CLINIC OFFER?

Stem Cell Therapy had been part of our holistic program for better health. In our center, we offer Stem Cell Therapy by intravenous injection for the whole body along with a special introduction of stem cell for specific concerns such as that for spinal cord injury. We have cord blood stem cell, adipose stem cell, and bone marrow or peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cell available for our patients.

As we work closely with the biggest stem cell research institutions in Bangkok, our surgeons are updated with the latest techniques and developments with regards to the use of stem cell.

Though we do not claim that stem cell is a wonder drug that can cure all types of diseases, stem cell therapy in our practice had shown very promising effects to our patients and to their health.